A day at the Erratic rock learning about off camera flash

I spent the day just south of Calgary taking a photo course at the Okotoks Erratic rock.  Kurtis Kristianson of Spin Drift Photography has offered this workshop for the past couple of years and I was lucky enough to learn about off camera flash, and using the flash in general. 

Kurtis' entire message was about creating the right lighting and understanding how to create that lighting each and every time you set up a photo shoot.  Lethbridge's Michael Warf came along and shared some great tips and ideas about working with the model and the "glamour" side of the industry.

As I arrived home and started looking at the pictures that I took, the first thing I noticed, was that I wasn't doing a lot of editing.  The pictures that I took were composed and set up properly enough, that I didn't need to go in and play with the lighting or exposure or colours.  Ok, I did some cropping here and there, but that was more a result of the 70-300 lens that I was using. (Most others were using some form of 24-105, 50-200 canon lens.)

My model (well, the group's model) for the day was Iryna Moriyama, who is herself, a very talented photographer and OCF workshop graduate.

Finding photos when you don't feel like looking

I haven't been very prolific with the camera in the past few weeks, because honestly, I just haven't felt the urge or desire to "create".  Well, today I went out with some other photographers to find some inspiration for a photo journalism assignment on homelessness and poverty.  There was one catch, in that we're supposed to try and NOT use people or faces to tell the tale...  Not as easy as you might think!!!

Hope: When the world seems like it has ganged up on you, sometimes baby steps are the only steps that can be taken.  Take this house that is desperate for attention.  The fence stood out in that, out of the entire length, just one board had been replaced and painted.  One board at a time...

Loneliness doesn't just affect the homeless or the elderly.  One in Seven people suffer some level of loneliness (not to be confused with depression) in their life.  A destructive cycle that can seem inescapable.

Shopping carts play such a large part in the life of the homeless: They hold their belongings, bottles and can act as shelter.

Shaun approached me on the street and asked what I was taking pictures of, and asked if I'd take his picture.

Empty bottles of Listerine outside of a homeless shelter.